Scorched
by kiwichick11
Summary: A twenty minute ferry ride with a stranger changes Clary's mundane life in a way she could never predict as she gets swept up into a world of romance, betrayal and fame. AU
1. A chance meeting

**Hello again! I'm back with a brand spanking new story! **

**Let me know what you all think- it will be considerably different to 'Till Divorce Do Us Part!'**

**This is just the first chapter, so knowing what you all think of it will be amazing. **

**Cassandra Clare owns all TMI names**

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**Now**

"Jace Wayland, don't you DARE slam the door on me! You get back in here right this minute and explain to me exactly what the hell is going on!"

A magazine, which bore the headline **_"Hollywood star's brawl with lover's lover"_** was clutched in the screaming woman's hand. The door, which had just been slammed shut by an angry Jace Wayland, remained closed and the woman was seething.

Never in her entire ten years in the business had she been this mad at a client. He had made her life difficult from day one and she was almost ready to quit.

What the hell had her client got himself into this time?!

* * *

**Six months ago**

"Clary Fray, please remain behind after class."

Clary looked up from packing her books away to stare at her lecturer in shock. Why was she being asked to stay behind? As far as she knew, her lecturer didn't even know her name!

"What's up Fray?"

Clary shrugged and shook her head at the boy sitting next to her. "No idea Simon."

Simon pushed his glassed further up his nose and sniffed as he stood up. Towering over her, he said, "Well, good luck anyway. I guess," before walking away.

Heart beating a little faster, Clary made her way to the front of the class. Her lecturer was a middle aged man by the name of Hodge who stared down his nose at his students. Clary didn't much like him, but she respected him nonetheless.

"Clary I'm guessing?" Hodge asked as she approached the podium he taught behind.

Clary nodded her head in confirmation and offered a weak smile.

"I have some rather bad news Clary. I am unable to pass your latest submission. I specifically said that the painting was to adhere to the idea of change. As I assessed your painting, I was unable to identify the representation of change."

Clary stared dumbly at her lecturer. So much for getting points for creativity. "I'm sorry sir, but I genuinely believed I was following the set instructions. As you may have worked out, I drew inspiration from Dante's Inferno and his idea of Hell. Personally, I view demon risings as a form of change," frowning at the fact Hodge hadn't caught on yet, Clary sighed. "I mean, a demon rising is a change from our idyllic environment; it is a change from good to bad, safety to danger, light to dark."

The look Hodge gave her was not encouraging. "Clary, to be honest with you, I could have simply failed you without giving you a reason. However for this situation, I felt that I had to talk to you about it. And unfortunately, I couldn't work out what your artwork was describing. I could not identify the transformation that you just described. The use of the charcoal was brilliant I will give you that, but myself and other professor's feel that it was not up to the par required by student's doing this course."

Clary's body felt like it was overheating and her palms got clammy. She had never screwed up an assessment piece before. If she failed this, then it would set her back a good credit point. "So what does this mean? I don't suppose I can resubmit it?"

"No, you can't resubmit it. It means I am going to have to fail you. I hope you take this on as a valuable lesson about following criteria."

Clary just nodded her head and meekly left the lecture theatre trying her hardest not to cry.

* * *

Shoving through the throngs of end of day workers, Clary grumbled quietly to herself. Her meeting with Hodge had been the last thing she had expected and it topped off a bad week. Never had she failed an assessment before, and over something as trivial as her idea of 'change'… It was pathetic. She knew she could take the decision to a higher authority within the university, but she wasn't sure if she would win anyway.

Personally, she had thought that choosing a demon uprising as a symbol of change was quite an ingenious idea. For many years she had been fascinated with Dante's Inferno, and she drew her inspiration for the art piece from what it would be like for Hell to be on Earth. She still couldn't believe that Hodge did not understand her symbolic use of demons to describe the change from Earth to Hell.

Halfway to the ferry that would take her home, it started to lightly sprinkle rain. "For God's sake, seriously?" Clary cursed out loud as she blinked up at the dark sky. She was still a good five minute walk from the docks and she didn't have an umbrella on her if it decided to full on pour.

Cursing her luck, Clary hastened into a fast paced walk. The after-five-crowd had dispersed around the Idris botanical gardens, and so Clary was left to trudge towards the Alicante River alone. Under the shelter of the big old trees, Clary managed to avoid getting too wet.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Clary was knocked to the ground. The book that had been held in her arm thudded to the ground as she threw her arms out to brace herself from the harsh reality of concrete and her face meeting.

Looking up from where she was sprawled, she spotted a figure running away from her. From her vantage point on the ground, all she saw was a black coat and a mess of blonde hair. The figure didn't stop to apologise, nor did it turn to see if she was harmed. Rolling her eyes at the complete lack of concern in some people, Clary slowly picked herself and her book up and continued on her way.

Her day went from bad to worse when two things happened simultaneously. As she stepped out of the shelter of the trees to head towards the dock, the sky chose that exact moment to open up. Even as this happened, the ferry that she normally took home was arriving at the dock meaning that she needed to start running to catch it, lest she miss it.

Clary hated running with a passion but she needed to be home on time. Letting out a loud groan, Clary hugged her book closer to her body and worked her short legs into something that resembled a run. Thankfully, there was a queue for the ferry, and she managed to arrive in all her drenched glory just as the last few people were boarding. The boarding assistant gave her a look that screamed judgment at her water soaked clothes and hair as Clary stepped off the ramp. Glaring right back at the rain-coated woman, Clary stalked through into the cabin not caring if she was going to drip water onto the floor. It was a ferry; if the floors didn't prevent slips when wet, then the boat designer was an idiot.

Taking the first available seat without looking at the other occupant, Clary set her book onto her lap and chucked her bag onto the floor by her feet. From in front of her, the boarding assistant stepped into the cabin and made eye contact with her. Smiling at the sneer on the other woman's face, Clary grabbed her wayward hair and started to wring it out, shaking the water onto the floor of the aisle next to her.

It was the snort of laughter coming from her right that caused her to break eye contact with the boarding assistant and shift her gaze onto her companion. Up until then, she had completely ignored the presence of the person sitting next to her as any good person who takes public transport was wont to do. Raising her eyebrow in question, Clary locked stares with the man sitting next to her. Shooting him a small smirk as acknowledgement, Clary turned her gaze once more to the assistant ready to antagonise the woman again.

Much to her disappointment, the woman had obviously moved while Clary's attention had been distracted. Pulling her hands once more through her wayward curls to extract more moisture, Clary let out a sigh of resignation as her fingers got tangled in her hair. It was going to take her even longer now to get ready for her date with Jonathon. Her boyfriend didn't like it when her hair was curly, and even though she had straightened it to an inch of its life that morning, the rain had caused her hair to curl up once again. Taking a quick glance at her watch, she calculated roughly half an hour to get ready once she got home. Jonathon was rarely tardy when it came to picking her up and he hated having to wait for her.

The ferry ride normally took twenty minutes, so she settled back and opened her book up intending on giving herself sometime to relax. After ten minutes of uninterrupted reading, she noticed her seat companion leaning towards her as though he was reading the book as well.

Maybe he was a tourist and didn't know correct public transport etiquette, because much to Clary's shock, the man started to speak. "Michelangelo?"

Looking up, Clary once again locked eyes with her seat companion. With her eyebrows raised in surprise, Clary nodded but didn't say anything as she turned back to her book. People weren't supposed to talk to each other on boats.

"What is your interest in Mikey?"

Almost choking on her spit due to her surprise and ignoring 'etiquette', Clary looked up again. "Mikey?"

The man shrugged and nodded his head down towards her book. "Mikey sounds much cooler than Michelangelo. I mean, the orange ninja turtle was called Michelangelo right? And every one called him Mikey. He was my favourite."

Completely confused at the change of topic from famed artist to ninja turtles, Clary titled her head slightly to appraise him. "And your point is?"

The man raised his hands up with his palms facing her. "I have no point. Just you know, making conversation."

Raising her eyebrow in speculation, Clary drawled out, "Right."

Nodding his head, the man shot her a wink. "I'm new to town, so just meeting the locals."

Internally, Clary fist pumped the air. She knew this man had to be a tourist- or at least someone new- to strike up conversation in a place like a ferry where conversations with strangers were usually avoided. Out loud however she replied with a teasing lilt to her voice, "You ride ferries to meet the locals?"

Clary watched as the man next to her ran a hand through his hair. Unlike her, he was perfectly dry. "Nah, not all the time. Sometimes I use dating sites. It's hard meeting new people when you look like me."

Once again, Clary was in risk of choking. This man had to be pulling her leg. He was one of the most gorgeous men she had ever set her eyes on; meeting new people wouldn't be hard for him. Playing along anyway, Clary retorted with, "Yes, Idris isn't all that a friendly place. I've lived here forever, so I'm thankful I don't have to try integrating myself into this society."

With mock seriousness, her seat companion nodded his head. "You are the first person I have actually managed to talk to without being flipped off. It's rather annoying after the seventh time. Why, the person in this seat before you stuck his headphones in and pretended I didn't exist! Even while I was waving my hand in his face!" The expression of exaggerated outrage on his face made Clary giggle.

Glancing out the window behind the man's head, Clary noted that her stop was approaching. And that the rain had thankfully stopped. Not that she could get any wetter anyway. "Well, hopefully you make it through the rest of your holiday without being flipped off," she said while picking her bag up off the floor. "Can't guarantee it though," she added as an afterthought while grinning at the other man.

Chuckling, her seat companion shrugged his shoulders. "It does get rather mundane after a while. I suppose being flipped off means I actually exist to people."

Clary snorted. "If that's what makes you happy," she said as she stood.

The ferry was making a loud rumbling sound as it drew closer to the dock and Clary held onto the seat as the vibrations of the boat got heavier.

With a smile goodbye to her gorgeous seat companion Clary headed towards the exit of the cabin. The boarding assistant was standing to one side ready to help people off the boat and when she saw Clary, her face turned sour. Obviously the woman was going to be the one who would have to clean up the water that Clary had purposely wringed out onto the floor.

Once the boat stopped and the boarding ramp was lowered, Clary breezed past the assistant without a care in the world. She had an important night ahead and she had very little time before Jonathon came to collect her.

As she walked through the streets towards the apartment complex that she lived in, she reflected on her brief conversation with the man on the ferry. He had somehow brought some light to her crappy day and she had a new spring to her step as she walked. Who knew that talking to some random stranger could make her greet other random strangers that she walked by. The weird looks she received because of it only made her smile wider, much to the alarm of some people she passed.

She reached her apartment in good time and for once she chose to take the elevator up to her floor instead of walking. Jonathon constantly complained about her not being fit enough, and he had convinced her to take the seven flights of stairs between the ground floor and her floor every time she left and arrived home.

"Do it for me Clary," he had said to her after they had been dating for two months. "You want us to look good together don't you baby?"

Clary had agreed to his face, but behind his back she had continued taking the elevator. When Jonathon had found out that she hadn't listened to him, he had been angry. He had been waiting by her door ready to pick her up for a date and she had been running late after a lecture. The look of disapproval on his face when the elevator doors had slid open had said it all, and Clary didn't need the two minute lecture from him to know how he felt about her not listening to him.

From that day on, she had persevered with the stairs much to Jonathon's satisfaction. Clary didn't grumble too much about his insistence; he was her first boyfriend and she liked making him happy.

Personally she thought she was skinny enough without the added exercise. She had always been the smallest girl throughout school and even as a woman of twenty two, she was still small.

Guiltily stepping out of the elevator, Clary hurried to open her apartment door. Stripping off her wet clothes as she went, Clary ambled into her bedroom and sourced the dress she was going to wear and her favourite stockings. Laying them on the bed, she walked into her bathroom and made a start on dealing with her hair.

She was in a good mood and nothing would dampen her spirits tonight. It was her third anniversary with Jonathan and he had said that they had something serious to discuss. She was hoping that they were going to talk about moving in with each other tonight. They lived on opposite sides of the city, so it was more practical if they lived in the same place together. Especially since they saw each other at least four or five times a week.

With five minutes before Jonathan was due to arrive, Clary could be found sitting on her bed pulling on her stockings. Her boyfriend had indicated his dislike of her wearing dresses without stockings before, and Clary had worn them ever since. Unfortunately in her haste to pull them on, one of her rings snagged on the fabric causing the material to ladder out.

Not letting this one incident dampen her spirits, Clary just shrugged and tossed the stockings aside. One night without stockings wouldn't hurt. It was the middle of summer, so stockings would look stupid anyway.

Moments before the buzzer went off indicating Jonathon's arrival, Clary was preened and polished to an inch of her life, minus stockings. He had always demanded perfection from her, and tonight she was in the mood to give it to him. Letting him in her door, her boyfriend appraised her with a smile as he took in her perfectly straight hair and her figure hugging black dress. He frowned slightly when he reached her legs and Clary fidgeted a bit under his close scrutiny. Maybe should have worn another pair of stockings, she thought as Jonathon's dark gaze came back up to her face.

Bending down to give her a kiss, Jonathon gave her a heart melting smile. Her spirits were raised when he encased her within his arms, but she came crashing back to Earth when he hissed harshly into her ear as he drew away, "Put some damn stockings on Clary."

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**I wonder if it is obvious how much I don't like Jonathon. I write him as such a bad guy!**

**More to come soon!**


	2. Less than strangers

**Thanks for the follows and favs for this story!**

**Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns all TMI names and references.**

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**Three days later...**

"So you're really OK with this?"

"He has to. He doesn't have a choice in it, and it's only going to be a month at most."

"Yea... I suppose..."

Clary frowned at her best friend. Since meeting Maia for coffee at Taki's and telling her about Jonathan's boss sending him out of state for training, Maia had seemed reluctant to lend her support.

"So he made a big deal of taking you out to dinner and got you thinking something monumental was going to happen, only for him to spring something else entirely big on you?"

Clary slowly nodded her head. She had to admit to herself that she was disappointed that they weren't taking their relationship to the next level with moving in together. Jonathon loved his job and aspired to be one of the next employees for a promotion, so how could she as his girlfriend stop him from following his dreams?

A snide voice in the back of her head whispered, _'Yea? What about your dreams?'_

Ignoring her internal whisperings, Clary focused back on her friend. "I mean, it's only for a month right? And then when he comes back, we can talk about moving in together then. It's just not the right time now."

Maia didn't look like she believed Clary's reasoning. "Girl, you got some serious shit to sort out with that good for nothing boyfriend of yours. When was the last time he ever did something for you?"

Frowning at her friend for calling him a 'good for nothing boyfriend', Clary responded hesitantly. "He does stuff for me all the time. He took me out to dinner for instance."

Maia snorted rather unladylike. "Yea, just so he could butter you up about his move."

She sighed. Maia wouldn't understand what she was going through. Maia was the flighty type and took off from each boy after a few months of having fun. She thought Clary crazy for choosing to stick by Jonathon as he put her on a backbench and focussed on his career. She had to hand it to Maia though: the girl never complained when Clary turned up on her doorstep with a bottle of wine saying "Jonathon got called into work. Want to get drunk with me?" She sometimes felt guilty about using her best friend like that.

"Let's just drop it. He's going and there's nothing I will say to make him stay. A month isn't too bad."

Maia shook her head at the redhead in pity. Clary was so blind sometimes. She would never admit it to her friend, but Jonathon was a sleaze. He had tried to come onto her many times and she had always firmly responded with a no. The guy wasn't good enough for her best friend and she had tried to tell Clary this, but nothing got through the rose tinted glasses firmly glued in front of her eyes.

"When does he leave?" Maia asked, not letting Clary off that easily. Whenever things got hard, the girl would scamper away from the confrontation. That was probably why Jonathon got away with so much: Clary didn't have the balls to argue with him.

"Friday," Clary replied with a sigh. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. Tell me how your work experience is going. Is that guy still being a prat?"

Maia laughed bitterly. "Prat is putting it nicely. He's an ass! I was warned before I started that some of the guys they get through are not nice, but Jordan is well, what's worse than as ass?"

"An Asshat?" Clary suggested after a pause.

"Yes! Jordan is an Asshat! You should have been there yesterday. He walks in all high and mighty and looks at me like I'm a piece of dirt and demands I get him coffee. Coffee! Can you believe it? I'm there for work experience, not to wait on those overpaid idiots who think that doing a commercial is a real job!"

Clary laughed at the look of outrage on Maia's face. "What's he doing the commercial for?" she asked curiously. Maia was a doing work experience with a television company and she had experienced more than her fair share of pretentious people who thought that they had what it took to become 'big'.

"He's doing a toothpaste ad. All he has to do is stand there and brush his teeth and smile. It's ridiculous!"

Clary's peals of laughter caused people around them to look over in interest. "Does he have dazzling pearly whites?" she quipped, her green eyes dancing in amusement.

Maia scowled at both Clary's words and the knowledge that yes, Jordan did have some amazing teeth. Maybe she should have got him coffee and put black food die or something in it. That would have shut him up. And would have probably also got her fired.

Besides from Jordan, she had enjoyed working with the Idris Production team. She had experienced what it was like behind the camera and knew that this was what she wanted to do, even if the people she would likely work with would make her bald before she was thirty.

"Anyone else new?" Clary asked when it became obvious that Maia was not going to take the bait and admit he had good teeth. She was fairly confident her friend had a secret crush on the young man. Maia always talked about him and did so with a passion that screamed 'crush' to Clary. A girl didn't rant and rave like that just for no one.

Maia shook her head. "Not yet. Apparently there's some American guy coming in next week, but I don't know who it is. Apparently he's filming some sort of independent film in the city. You'll probably see the camera crew at University as they will be filming on site."

Clary raised her eyebrows in interest. Nothing much happened at the University. In fact, nothing much of interest ever happened in Idris itself. Maia probably had one of the most interesting jobs of anyone she knew, and that in itself was a miracle: her father's friend had got the work experience job for her.

Their waiter came with their food then and the two girls settled into comfortable silence as they ate their lunch before parting ways an hour later.

* * *

After lunch, Clary made her way back to campus for her afternoon class. She was going to receive another mark today and she prayed that it was a good one. She was still cut up about her failure of a piece of assessment, but when she had told Jonathon about it, he had reassured her that she would get it right next time. "You're too creative sometimes Clary," he had said, not unkindly. "You need to stop taking such bold steps and conform with everyone else. No one likes it when a girl tries to get ahead."

She had agreed with him when he had told her this. It was a stupid move on her part and she should never have tested the limits. It was clearly her artwork that was the problem, Jonathon had told her. While his words had cut her, she had said nothing. Jonathon was older and therefore more knowledgeable about these things, she had reasoned. If he said she could do better by not testing the limits, then he was right. Their talk had moved on to his work after that, and he had gushed about the latest client he had signed. It was a privilege for him to share his work with her, he had told her once. He valued her opinion, even if she rarely gave one because he always said she didn't know what she was talking about.

Campus was teeming with other students all hurrying to their own classes and Clary pushed her small body through the throngs. By the time she was finished with her class and heading off to the ferry to take her home, she had forgotten all about her latest failure. She had received almost perfect grades for an essay she had written on Michelangelo. She couldn't get hold of Jonathon through his cell, so she was excited to get home and tell him about it when he dropped by that evening.

The air was humid as she walked down the path, and she was thankful that the trees were shading most of the sun's glare. The sun and her pale skin did not mix well, and Jonathon was always encouraging her to avoid getting more freckles.

_Like she could help it: she got burnt indoors!_

Unlike the other day, she was on time for the ferry. The sour faced woman was not there to greet her as she stepped onto the ferry and Clary once again took the first available seat. She pulled out her iPod and stuffed the earphones in, setting the volume to medium. The woman sitting next to her was reading a gossip magazine and Clary snorted to herself in disgust. She couldn't stand those 'rag mags'. She had never in her life read one before and didn't hold much regard for those that took everything they said for the truth. Those magazines and the vultures who wrote them probably caused more problems in Hollywood than there actually needed to be. They twisted the words around and made stories up just from one picture. A picture could tell a thousand words Clary knew, but the pictures they manipulated into stories were the worst kind. The kind that tore couples and families apart. The kind that ruined friendships and started wars of words. Words that were never meant for good. Words that are purely for selling magazines.

Clary had never particularly cared much for movies or the actors who played in them. She loved music and regularly purchased songs, but she didn't fall into the hype of movies. She did not own a television and got most of her information from the newspaper which was delivered to her door every morning. That kept her up to date on the current affairs of the world, even if she did find out later than most people.

Clary looked out the window for the rest of the ride home and she got off with half a dozen other people. Her earphones stayed in, effectively blocking out the sounds around her as she thought about what she would make Jonathon for dinner later that night. He was a vegetarian and even though she simply adored meat of any kind, she accepted Jonathon's request that she never eat meat in front of him.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a tap on her shoulder as she waited for the green 'walk' sign to light up. Looking behind her in annoyance- if this was a tourist wanting directions she would have a fit!- she was greeted with a familiar face but from where she knew him she couldn't remember. She took an earphone out and cocked her head to the side scrutinising him.

"Hey, remember me?" the strange man asked her. Lifting her eyebrows, Clary simply shook her head. His face fell slightly but it was momentarily. "Oh, right well, I remember you. You're the Michelangelo girl from the ferry."

And then it clicked. This was the same man she had sat next to on the ferry the other day. "Mikey!" she exclaimed, hitting herself on the side of the head in mock remembrance.

"That's me," the man said with a grin.

"Yep, that's you," she responded. He didn't reply straight away and Clary suddenly realised this was fast becoming awkward. He had obviously wanted to say hello, but the conversation was beginning to spiral into severe awkwardness: what was there to talk about? They didn't even know each other! She was about to say "well best be off now" but he beat her to the punch.

"Are you doing anything right now? Would you like to get a coffee with me?"

Clary had a hard time keeping her face neutral at his words. How did one respond to these questions? Why was he even asking her? Jonathon didn't like her talking to other men. "Oh, erm…" she mumbled incoherently. "Well… ah, I've got a lot of things to do this afternoon," _liar_, her conscience hissed at her as the man gave her a crestfallen look. The excuse was weak and they both knew it.

"Oh, okay," he muttered, raising his hand to his neck. Clearly he was unsure what to say next. They stood facing each other silently and Clary played with her earring, unsure what to do. She was released from any obligation when he finally said, "Well, it was nice seeing you again."

She barely had time to nod before he was spinning on his heel and disappearing into the crowd. The green 'walk' sign chose that moment to go off and the mass of bodies pushed past her as they tried to get to the other side of the road. Clary stayed in the same place and watched the man's retreating back. He had hunched his shoulders and was looking down.

Guilt washed through her even though she didn't know why. She had nothing to be guilty about. She had no obligation to let him down easy and really, she could have laughed in his face and told him to "get real". But the dejected way in which he was leaving pulled at her heart strings and she sighed, cursing her inability to disappoint people. With an audible groan, she ditched her afternoon plans of reading and began a brisk walk after the man. The least she could do was take him up on the offer. He was new to town she remembered, so perhaps he didn't know anyone and was merely trying to meet new people.

"Great going Clary," she chastised herself, before picking up the pace and jogging after the man. "Hey!" she called out to him just before he was about to walk across another road. The man turned, as did four or five other people. He stopped when he saw her and Clary saw him kicking the ground with a sneaker clad shoe.

"So," she began, suddenly very nervous. She had never done anything like this before, and she wasn't sure if she even should. Jonathon would be angry at her, but what he didn't know didn't harm him. She would never tell him anyway. "Well… I was thinking... Why did you like Michelangelo better than Donatello?"

The smile that spread across the man's face made her breath catch. It should be illegal to look this good. Why wasn't he a model or something?! They weren't made like this in Idris, and Clary had a brief moment to wonder when he came from. Clearly he was happy that she had come after him, even if she was not entirely sure why she had come after him.

"How about you join me for that coffee and I'll tell you all about it," the man said, the smile never leaving his face. It reached his eyes and Clary found herself lost within the golden depths. She was shaken out of her stupor by the hand that was extended towards her.

"I'm Jace. Jace Wayland. It's a pleasure to meet you Clarissa Fray."

* * *

**dum dum daaa... How does he know her name I hear you wonder...? Next chapter it shall be revealed!**

Let me know what you think. :)

x


	3. Stalker?

**New Chapter!**

**Some answers are in here that should clear up the last chapter's ending**

**Enjoy!**

**Cassandra Clare owns TMI references**

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A moment passed during which Clary looked at the man in front of her with shock. A million things were swirling around in her head. As soon as she could speak coherently, she was in his face demanding answers. "How the hell do you know my name?"

To Clary's consternation, Jace Wayland smirked at her and tapped his head. "Secrets," as though that was an adequate explanation.

"Not good enough!" she all but shrieked. It wasn't every day a stranger knew her name, but to know her full name? No one- except her mother- called her Clarissa. It wasn't like she went around flaunting such a ridiculous name. And Fray? That's not the sort of thing easily guessed.

Jace looked around and pursed his lips as he saw the number of people watching them as they walked by. "Look, shall we go get that coffee? You're beginning to draw a crowd."

If it was possible, Clary knew steam would be hissing out of her ears, but she knew he was right. She would never discover how this stranger knew her name if they drew too large a crowd and people thought they were having a domestic. He would tell her nothing if that happened. She huffed and glared at him before shoving him with her shoulder as she stalked past. She knew he would follow her. Men like him didn't follow girls like her without a damned good reason. She just hoped it wasn't a creepy stalker-ish reason.

She led him to the nearest coffee shop and dumped her bag at her feet as she sat down. She had chosen a café with outdoor seating and watched with cold eyes as Jace sat down in the chair across from her.

"Talk."

She wanted answers and she would get them. Had he been stalking her? The very thought made her shudder- it was a big city, and who knows how long he had been following her for. Perhaps even before that day on the ferry.

Clary had a startling realisation that maybe she had befriended her stalker that day on the ferry. Had she encouraged his sick obsession?

She was beginning to regret chasing after him now; if he had been stalking her, then was he going to hurt her? She made a promise to herself to never be alone with him without a crowd.

_Not that she had any intentions of seeing him again after she got the truth out of him. _

"Shall we get a drink first?" he asked, looking around for a waiter. He didn't bother waiting for her response before he was flagging a young girl in a black apron down. The girl- Amy was the name on her badge- smiled timidly at them and asked what they would like. Clary grudgingly asked for water while Jace requested a cappuccino. "You don't drink coffee?" he asked when Amy walked away.

Clary gave him her best death stare and didn't answer him. She was beginning to think she should have got a hot drink- cold water just didn't work the same if she decided to throw her drink in his face.

Pulling herself out of her violent thoughts, she leant forwards and pinned him with a severe look. "We're here getting your blasted coffee. What I drink is of no concern to you. Now tell me how you know my name." Jace sighed and looked around. Clary knew he was stalling so she prompted him further. "Are you stalking me?"

He snorted and shook his head at her words. "Why would I stalk you?"

"I don't know. Maybe because you're sick in the head?" Her words dripped sarcasm.

"I'm not stalking you."

"Then how do you know my name?" Clary countered.

"Lucky guess?" Jace was grinning widely at her and Clary felt her patience running thin.

"Drop the act dumbass. If you don't tell me I'm going to go straight to the cops. I'm sure they will be interested to know how you came by a name that even I don't use."

Jace looked around covertly before leaning forwards and coming up close to her face. "Fine. Can you keep a secret?" Clary rolled her eyes and Jace took this as a cue to continue. "I'm a spy. I need a stunning woman on my arm for a charity ball next week to act as a cover while I break into the Mayor's office and steal secret documents."

Clary thinned her lips disapprovingly and abruptly stood up. "Listen up Asshat. I'm going to go to the police right now. I don't know who you are or why you know my name but I won't tolerate this shit."

From the corner of her eye she could see the waitress approaching their table with a tray but this did not stop her from hissing, "Stay the hell away from me," at Jace before stomping away in anger.

* * *

Jace Wayland watched as the fiery red headed girl stormed away from him. He gazed at her ass approvingly as it subtly swung from side to side.

Arousing him was probably the last thing on the girl's mind, but Jace had a thing or two for angry girls. Angry sex was the best he usually had. It was why he was so good at riling girls up. The rewards far outweighed the risks of getting slapped. Sadly though, he hadn't managed to butter Clarrissa Fray up. She had done worse than slap him. She had walked away. They wouldn't be shacking up in his hotel room any time soon.

Still, a guy could hope.

He was still mildly surprised that he could pull this off. Ever since arriving in Idris, he had drastically changed his appearance so as to not be easily recognised. His once light brown hair was now a golden colour that he actually liked better than his natural colour. He had cut his hair close to his head in order to satisfy the look of his next character and it was a far cry from the floppy messy hair-do he usually wore back home in the States.

Just by changing his hair he looked different to the normal him so much so that it worked with most of the people he passed in the street.

The ever hounding paparazzi hadn't been fooled for long though. He had given himself away by having lunch with Jordan Kyle two weeks ago. Jordan was an old friend of his and in Idris doing some small side jobs while waiting for 'Valentine' to start shooting. Jordan was a minor character that had scored the gig after Jace had sweet talked everyone and anyone into securing the part for his close friend.

For his part, Jace was the male lead in the action thriller while Isabelle Lightwood was the female lead. Jace had some trepidation about working with Isabelle. She was rumoured to be bitchy, high maintenance and obsessed with her hair.

At least they had something in common: Jace was obsessed with his hair as well. He wasn't entirely sure what else they had in common, but he was eager to start filming soon in any case. He was normally best known for his romantic comedies and by doing Valentine, Jace hoped that he could take his career in a different direction.

As it was, a lone cameraman had spotted Jordan and then figured out who he was despite his trademark hair gone. The man had taken a picture and since then he had been followed by the paparazzi. He wasn't a big name yet, but he was young, good looking and had a reputation for being a lady's man. He had dated well known actress Aline Penhallow for three years before their split. The details of the split were predictably over exaggerated and made up. His favourite rumour involved an affair with Jennifer Lawrence after the two had been snapped literally walking into each other.

There's nothing like a bruise to the head and a split shopping bag to start a clandestine romance.

The truth was that Aline and he had simply grown apart. Sure he had been devastated- as much as a twenty-two year old guy could be- when she had suggested they go their own ways, but it hadn't taken him long to discover he enjoyed the freedom of being single.

He had lost track of the number of women he had dated since then. He enjoyed women and really, why would he turn down so many good looking ones throwing themselves at him?

This girl, this Clary Fray however had turned him down. He wasn't used to being snubbed like this. It irked him and he found himself intrigued by her. Was she a lesbian to have simply been immune to his charms? She wasn't married and he didn't rule out a boyfriend, but Jace knew a boyfriend did not mean much when he was around.

Call him cocky, but that was the truth as he knew it based on experience.

He had known about the existence of the girl for longer than she knew. He had been catching the ferry on his first day in town in order to see the sights and she had pranced onto the ferry in a light green summer dress with a smile on her face. It was her red hair that had drawn his interest the most and he had gazed at the back of her head as it had subtly nodded back and forth in time to the music coming out of her ear phones.

He imagined walking up to her and talking to her- and back home he would not have hesitated- but here in this strange new city, he wasn't as confident.

She had gotten off the ferry before he had made a move.

The following day, he had caught the ferry out of boredom and to his surprise, the red head had got on at the same stop she had the day before. This time though, she was with a friend and got off five minutes later.

Jace hadn't caught the ferry the following day, or the day after that, but the red headed girl had not been far from his thoughts. Something about her drew him in and it was this very feeling that scared him. Besides from the early days of his relationship with Aline, he had never felt compelled to be near a girl. Usually they flocked to him with very little effort on his part. It didn't matter that he was not a big name Hollywood star just yet. He was an actor and he earnt decent money. That was all the girls needed.

Having to actually to be the one to instigate the contact was something Jace was not familiar with and it was this that made him hesitate every time he had seen her. It had been Tuesday when he had given in. He had been on the ferry after a meeting with his publicist and to his pleasure the red head had also boarded the ferry. She was soaked to the skin and when she sat down next to him he had swallowed a groan at how good she had smelt.

Yes, he had been aroused by the very smell of her.

He had watched out of the corner of his eye as she had wringed her hair out onto the floor. To his amusement, she had been grinning. Most girls he knew freaked out when their hair got wet, yet this girl had seemed to be getting some sort of satisfaction from it. He had understood a second later when he noticed the woman who helped people board was scowling at her. He got the impression the two women did not like each other, or at least the other woman didn't like the red head.

Eventually she had settled back into her seat and began reading, effectively ignoring his very presence. For some reason, this snub was like a kick to the stomach. After so many days watching her and fantasising about talking to her, here she was, sitting next to him.

Ignoring him.

Even though it took all his courage, he had started talking to her. He had wanted to smack himself the moment the words had left his mouth though when he asked her about Michelangelo. He knew nothing about the guy and as soon as he mentioned the Ninja Turtles he started planning his own funeral.

To his shock though, the girl had not seemed to mind his attempt of conversation. Sure, she had looked bewildered when he had started talking to her, but eventually she had started to smile. It was the smile that made Jace realise it wasn't just the girl's smell that aroused him. It was everything else about her as well.

It was a different conversation to anything he had ever had before. Normally the girls giggled a lot and paid him compliments. Normally he threw in words like 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous'. Nothing like that happened in this conversation, although he liked to imagine the widening of her eyes when she looked at him was because she found him good looking. This girl was witty. She was funny and unpredictable.

By the time she had gathered her things to get off, he had made his mind up. He would follow this girl. He ignored the voice in his head that told him it was slightly creepy to follow a girl he had been thinking about so much, but this voice wouldn't get him what he wanted.

He wanted to know this girl more.

As he was standing up, he realised the girl had dropped a piece of paper. It must have slipped out of the book she had been reading. This was all the excuse he needed to follow through with his plan. At the very least, he had a reason to talk to her if she found him out. The paper wasn't much. Just a simple shopping list with the words "condoms" and "toothbrush" written on it. He frowned at the first item in the list. Perhaps she had a boyfriend.

He was the last one to get off the ferry at that particular stop and followed behind her at a safe distance. She seemed to be walking with a spring to her step and he liked to imagine it was because of him.

Call him delusional, but he wanted to be the reason for everything to this girl.

He almost got ran over after crossing a road with a red walk sign but his pursuit did not end. He paused some way down the street as she turned up the stairs to an apartment complex and only after five minutes had passed did he dare to venture closer. He had stared at the list of names coinciding with each apartment with glee. There, the only female name on the list was a Clarissa Fray.

Finally, Jace Wayland had found his leading lady.

Now though, three days since following her, he was back to where he had begun. The girl hadn't appreciated him knowing her full name, and now that he thought about it, it _was_ kind of creepy that he even knew.

The circumstances alone were creepy! He would never tell a soul that he had found out her name by following her.

He hoped the girl didn't go to the police station. He didn't know how he could explain this one without being considered a freakish stalker but it was done now.

He doubted he would succeed in getting her to talk to him again.

* * *

"So you're telling me that some guy you met on the ferry knows your full name and you're trying to claim he is stalking you?"

Clary nodded her head at the police officer in front of her. She had gone directly to the police station to make a statement but had been met with nothing but un-interest. "Yes. He knew my full name and my last name. I never introduced myself when we first met and the only way he could know my name is if he is stalking me."

"Right," the officer didn't sound like he thought she was right. In fact, he was looking at her like she was crazy. "And this 'Jace Wayland,'" the officer quoted the name in the air, "just decided to start following you. Has he stolen your underwear as well? Stalkers tend to do that. Would you like me to put down 'theft' as a complaint as well?"

He was mocking her, she realised.

Clary glared at the man. Really, how obnoxious could a police officer be? He was a complete and utter twit and Clary was beginning to fume. "No, he hasn't stolen my underwear and I don't know why he has been following me. Obviously he knows enough about me to know my last name. Why are you not more concerned?"

"Sweetheart, if we took every claim of stalking seriously we would need a much bigger police force. You need to provide me with more proof than just him knowing your last name."

Clary huffed and glared at the officer. "Is that it? You need more proof? So what, if you find my dead body in a ditch somewhere, is that enough proof?"

The officer frowned at her clearly annoyed at her snark. "I will create a file with your complaint, but I will need more before I can act on it. I'm not saying I don't believe you-" despite his words, it sure sounded like he didn't believe her, "-but you must understand I need more before I approach this Wayland." Clary nodded her head in acceptance reluctantly. In a way he made sense, and it pissed her off. "My best advice is to ensure your doors are locked and if you are really concerned, to avoid walking alone at night."

The officer wrote a brief paragraph about her claims before she was unceremoniously shown the door and bid good day. She huffed as she stood outside of the police station. "Jackass," she muttered darkly before stomping off in the direction of her apartment. Jonathon was still dropping by tonight and she needed to get her act together. She was not going to tell her boyfriend about Jace Wayland. Chasing after him was a mistake she was already regretting and she had no intentions of seeing him again.

* * *

Jonathon brought flowers with him when he came by that night. They weren't her favourite but the thought still counted. Clary had prepared a roast meal much to his pleasure even though he frowned at the amount of meat she heaped onto her own plate. She tried hard to keep him happy and her chest blew up with pride when he commented on how she was an excellent cook.

After dinner they discussed his departure over a bottle of wine. He was leaving on Wednesday- it was Friday today- and they had made plans to spend the weekend together. They were going shopping to find new clothes for him as he felt he needed a new wardrobe to accompany his new position. Clary would rather they have spent his remaining time in bed, but with a wink and a leer, Jonathon had promised he would keep her in bed for as long as he could.

"I expect you to look after yourself while I am away Clary," he told her as he watched her do the dishes. "I don't want to come home and find that you have lost that pretty little body of yours." Clary didn't turn to face him as she scrubbed a pan but she nodded her head nonetheless. She had worked hard to lose weight for Jonathon and she didn't want the effort to go to waste either. "I also don't want you to go out with your friends when I'm away. Anything could happen and I won't be here to look after you."

Clary frowned and turned to look at him. "I can't go out with Maia? But I'll be bored doing nothing for a whole month Jon. I need to at least see people."

"You see people at University Clary. That should be enough."

Shaking her head slowly she grabbed a tea-towel and began drying her hands. "I won't agree to that," she said softly. "You know I don't go out to clubs but I meet Maia every week for coffee and she is the only friend I have. You cannot expect me to hole up here for a month while you are away. I won't do that."

Jonathon glared at her. His anger at her defiance was clear on his face. "This isn't up for discussion Clary. You know how I worry about you. I just want you safe. I'll call you every night to make sure you are at home."

Huffing in annoyance Clary gave in. She knew Jonathon worried about her- his own sister had been assaulted while going to meet a friend and he was constantly paranoid that Clary would get hurt one day as well. She had long ago given up trying to make him understand that she was a smart girl- she didn't go out at night and she didn't flaunt her body like many other girls- but he didn't get her point of view. And now that he was leaving, she was going to have to sacrifice her own happiness for his.

She would continue to let him believe that she would follow his orders, but nothing would stop her from catching up with Maia. She had lost a lot of friends after she started dating Jonathon and she valued Maia too much to snub her. They only ever caught up on days that she went to University, so she wasn't really defying him by leaving the house, she reasoned.

The conversation was dropped and Jonathon poured himself another glass of wine. She finished washing and drying the dishes ten minutes later after making a promise to herself to not argue with Jonathon again before he left.

It wasn't worth it. She would never win.

* * *

"And you're sure this is Jace Wayland?"

"Yes, positive. He's cut his hair off and dyed it, but it's definitely him."

"And the girl?"

"We don't know. Call her unnamed."

"Pretty thing isn't she? Oh Mister Wayland. You really are a ladies man."

"So you will print it?"

"Damn right I will. I want him to be your main priority."

"What about Lightwood?"

"I'll get Lewis to follow her. Focus on Wayland. I have a feeling things are going to heat up soon."

The balding photographer smiled wickedly.

He had finally hit the jackpot.

* * *

**Long chapter!**

**Any thoughts on Jace?** (I hope it wasn't too confusing to read what with the past and the present intermingling.)


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